Sustainable Landscaping: Good Ecology

Landscape the Border of Your Yard

Perimeter plantings provide a convenient place to recycle tree trimmings, leaves, and garden debris. Locate ornamental, flower, and vegetable beds around the property in order to readily receive fallen leaves from the adjacent lawn areas. Plant impractical lawn areas (steep slopes, shady areas, low spots) to ground covers. Use a lawn mower to chop the leaves into small pieces. As they are chopped they will be easily blown into adjacent beds. Once in the beds the small size of the chopped leaves will serve to create a mulch layer that will keep weeds at bay, conserve soil moisture, moderate soil temperature changes and add organic matter to the soil.